Current hazardous area fixtures available typically utilize high intensity discharge (HID) lamp sources or bulbs because they do not discharge a high amount of heat which could create a safety problem, especially in areas where flammable gases, vapors, or dust may be present. While HID bulbs are satisfactory for use in some hazardous area fixtures, the disadvantage of using HID bulbs is that they only provide an average lamp life of approximately 8,000 hours. Thus, replacing these bulbs relatively frequently is time consuming and expensive.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a hazardous area fixture which uses a lamp source having a life expectancy much greater than a standard HID bulb, while not producing an excessive amount of heat for safety concerns.